"Open the Gate of Taurus—Taurus, get rid of that woman for me!" Lucy was still on an adrenaline high after taking down a Dark Guild alongside Erza. Even though her opponent was a member of Oración Seis, and apparently just a girl, Lucy felt confident—especially with Erza backing her up.
"Yes, ma'am!"
Taurus hefted his giant axe, preparing to charge straight at Angel.
Suddenly, "Gray" standing nearby began to glow and shift—turning into a copy of Lucy.
"Wha—? You're copying me?" Lucy stared in confusion. "That's so obvious; there's no way you'll fool us!"
"Is that so?" The false Lucy smirked. "A certain dumb bull is a big fan of your body, right?" she teased. Then she started tugging at her clothes, revealing her upper half.
"Ugh—!"
"Ahhhhh! P-Put those away!" Lucy shrieked, instinctively hugging her chest.
"Don't look, Taurus!" she yelled.
"Huh—? Wah—!" Taurus flailed, clearly flustered.
Fake Lucy's expression twisted. "Well, with the Celestial Spirit data collected, guess it's time to change owners." Her voice turned cold. "Taurus, kill Erza."
"N-No…!" Taurus struggled as though trying to resist, his muscles trembling violently.
Erza raised a sword to block when Taurus swung his axe. "Taurus?! What are you doing?!"
"Ugh… I can't—!"
Taurus was shaken to the core. He didn't want to attack a friend, but his body wouldn't obey.
"Close the Gate! Taurus!" Lucy commanded, forcefully returning Taurus to the Celestial Spirit world.
Yet the fake Lucy—the Gemini transformation—grinned and pulled out a Zodiac key herself. "Open—Gate of Taurus: Taurus!"
A magic circle flared. Taurus reappeared, but this time under the fake Lucy's control.
"Wh—?! This can't be! Taurus belongs to me!" Lucy cried in disbelief.
"Let's go, Taurus," fake Lucy ordered. "Kill her."
Taurus trembled even more fiercely. "No…! I…c-can't disobey…" he groaned.
Meanwhile, real Lucy pulled out another Zodiac key. "Open—Gate of Sagittarius: Sagittarius!"
"Moshi moshi, were you calling for me?" A bow-wielding Celestial Spirit in a horse costume emerged.
"Sagittarius! Take out that me!" Lucy urged, pointing at the imposter.
But the fake Lucy barked, "Stop, Sagittarius!"
Sagittarius jerked to a halt, confusion all over his face—two Lucys, two owners? He didn't know whom to follow. Taurus stood near the fake Lucy, apparently forced.
Then the fake Lucy snarled again, "Sagittarius—attack Erza!"
"N-No…!" Sagittarius's arm quivered, not wanting to harm Lucy's ally.
"Close the Gate! Sagittarius!" Lucy hastily recalled him, understanding that if she left her Celestial Spirits out, they might be turned on their allies. At this point, Lucy could no longer use Taurus or Sagittarius; the risk was too high.
"Argh!" Lucy spat. "Damn it! I can't use any Spirits without risking them being turned against me. So that leaves—"
"You see how vulnerable a half-baked Celestial Spirit mage can be?" Angel said sweetly. "By the way, my Celestial Spirit is Gemini—capable of copying your form, Celestial Spirits included. Now," she added, eyes gleaming, "hand over your Zodiac Keys, Lucy, and I might spare your life."
"Over my dead body!" Lucy snapped. She drew her leather whip, gaze locked on Angel. "If you're a Celestial Spirit mage, I know your weakness: the master herself. All I need to do is defeat you!"
Crack!
The fake Lucy mirrored her actions, brandishing an identical whip.
Angel purred, "Oh? Then it's two against three, Lucy. Or rather, your side's down to two, so you're fighting me and your twin. If you want to win, you'll have to beat yourself first."
But at that moment, another voice rang out: "It's three on three now."